Nearly 30 residents lined up around midday outside the Warren Avenue Market at the intersection of Forest and Warren avenues Friday.

They weren’t at the convenience store for soda or cigarettes, instead they were getting cell phones.

Budget Mobile, a government-subsidized mobile phone service, has been tending a booth in the convenience store parking lot for close to a month.

Some days the line snakes out the parking lot.

“Try and find a pay phone anywhere these days,” said Cathy Monteforte, holding the Verizon flip phone she had just received. “Even if you can find one, half the time they don’t work.”

Brenda Adams, who is unemployed and receiving disability benefits for a spinal condition, said a cell phone could help her to manage doctors appointments. Currently, she does not have a cell phone or land line, making it difficult to coordinate her medical treatment.

Eligibility for Budget Mobile phone service is determined by income or participation in state or federal assistance programs.

One must be below 135 percent of the poverty line, which means they’re earning less than $15,500 as an individual or $31,700 for a family of four. People wanting a phone must show photo I.D., their social security number and proof they receive government assistance.

Those who qualify can receive a cell phone and 250 free minutes per month, or pay for other discounted service plans offered by Budget Mobile. There can only be one plan per household.

Budget Mobile is a service plan offered by the Louisiana-based telecommunications company Budget PrePay. They are one of many carriers that provide low income communications services through the Universal Service Fund, a program operated by the Federal Communications Commission, according to a company spokeswoman.

The program was created after the passage of the 1966 Universal Service Act, which sought to ensure access to telecommunications services in low-income, rural, insular and high cost areas, according to the FCC website.

The Lifeline program, which subsidizes Budget Mobile, was created in 1985 to give discounted phone service to qualifying low-income consumers. Its aim is to help to ensure all Americans have the opportunities and security that phone service brings, including being able to connect to jobs, family and emergency services.

In 2005, the program was expanded to make pre-paid wireless service plans available in addition to land line service.

Telecom companies, such as Budget PrePay, contribute into a shared fund to provide the discounted service and are then reimbursed by the FCC, according to its website.

An independent not-for-profit company, the Universal Service Administrative Co., is tasked with collecting and dispersing the federal money as well as reviewing claims from telecom companies wishing to qualify for subsidies. They also conduct regular audits of low-income beneficiaries to protect against fraud and abuse.

Page 2 of 2 - Outside the Warren Ave. Market, Shiela Stevens, 29, said she saw an ad for Budget Mobile on TV and a friend told her about the booth in Brockton. She said she can’t always afford other discount providers like Boost Mobile – which has a storefront across the street – but does not want to be without a cell phone.

Stevens is currently out of work and said having a cell number to list on job applications is important.